Punters think Widdecombe idea is dopey

SELDOM has a politician inspired so unanimous a response among the nation's drinkers as Ann Widdecombe with her call for a £100 on-the-spot fine for anyone found in possession of cannabis.

Not a single person in the Moon in the Square, a pub near the hall where Miss Widdecombe addressed the Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth, supported her proposal.

"It's ridiculous, isn't it," said Steve Knight, 48, a retired businessman. "The police have got enough to do without having to stop people to see if they've got a bit of 'whacky baccy' on them. The sort of person wandering around with a bit of 'whacky baccy' isn't going to have a hundred quid on them. It's just not practical."

But though he thought Miss Widdecombe had made "a huge mistake", he expressed great admiration for William Hague: "I think he's good. He's gone right up in my estimation. A great improvement on Blair and I think he'll romp home next time. There are so many Labour voters I know who'll never vote Labour next time. Fierce Labour people.

"They've got double standards, the Labour government. Look at the lifestyles they lead. Look at that bloody Prescott, the most arrogant man I've ever seen in my life. He tries to pretend he's working class and he's got two Jaguars and five houses."

Related Articles

Mr Knight said he always voted Tory until the last general election, when he abstained after concluding that "Major was one of the worst Prime Ministers ever". His approval of Mr Hague dates from about 12 months ago: "I couldn't stick him to start with, I thought he was quite dreadful. Now he comes across as quite a genuine bloke. Quite down to earth. No side to him."

But this favourable view of the Tory leader is far from universal. "He's a clown," said Michael Anderson, 40, a chef. "Fourteen pints a day. What a joke this bloke is. It's not a thing a Prime Minister comes out and says."

Mr Anderson remains loyal to Labour: "I think they're doing a really good job. I think Tony Blair's the best. I think he's brilliant. They've had their problems, I must admit, but they've come through it. Look at the economy, it's absolutely brilliant. Lowest unemployment for years. Gordon Brown's done an absolutely brilliant job."

Many people consider cannabis less harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Michael Button, 45, unemployed, said: "When I used to smoke it I found if I smoked one joint I could go five or six hours and I didn't need a cigarette.

"Now I don't smoke dope and I need 60 to 70 cigarettes a day. Also, smoking dope gives you a high which you don't get with a normal cigarette, so to counterbalance that I drink. At the moment I've got a problem with drink and with cigarettes. I feel if I could have dope, by dope I mean cannabis, it could cut down my drinking and also help to cut down my tobacco."

Steve Toop, 41, a director of a software company, said: "Cannabis is such a gentle drug. Alcohol causes more trouble than cannabis." Jennie Williams, 28, a folk guitarist and busker, said: "There's a lot of benefits with cannabis. It can help things like MS and various medical conditions. It's the harder drugs like heroin that are so dangerous."

David Wilson, 59, a retired boiler maker, said: "I don't do drugs but if a guy just has a wee puff it never did anyone any harm as long as they're not dealing." John Bell, 64, a retired painter and decorator, said: "Widdecombe must have been pissed to have an idea like that."

Richard Evans, 20, a student, said: "People like her are out of touch with the way society is going." Leah Ward, 25, a nurse, said: "There's going to be victimisation. How are they going to search people? I wouldn't want to be searched. They're going to have to bring in spot checks to catch people, and that's violation."

Dale Spencer, 42, a head chef, said: "I think Widdecombe only came out against dope because Mo Mowlam said she'd smoked it. Two women against each other. I think eventually it'll be decriminalised anyway."

Jay Robson, 69, a retired line foreman at Ford, said: "I've never seen a drug in my life. It's only politicians you're talking about. It'll never happen. It's all talk, these politicians, just to win votes. You promise this and you promise that.

"Us three people at this table are pensioners. They just forget us. We've got nothing. We're just a waste of life. If I didn't have a private pension I'd be sitting in cardboard city. You can tell Mr Gordon Brown from me I'll bloody strangle him."